Constellation Aquila Home > Celestial Objects > The Constellations > Constellation Aquila Constellation Aquila A constellation located in the equatorial region of the sky, representing an eagle. It is best visible in the month of August, high in the evening sky. Abbreviation: Aql Genitive: Aquilae English name: The eagle Notable Stars in Aquila Alpha Aquilae (Altair) – The brightest star of the constellation, shining at magnitude 0.8. Altair has a very rapid rotation, completing one turn every 6.5 hours. As a result of this rapid spinning its equatorial diameter is 14 percent greater than its polar diameter. Altair, along with Deneb (Alpha Cygni) and Vega (Alpha Lyrae), form the well-known Summer Triangle. Beta Aquilae (Alschain) – This star shines at magnitude 3.7 and it is approximately 44 light years from Earth. It has a 12th-magnitude companion, 12.8 arcseconds distant. Gamma Aquilae (Tarazed) – A giant star located near the Great Rift of the summer-time Milky Way.

It has an apparent magnitude of 2.7 and its computed distance is 460 light years from Earth. Zeta Aquilae – A difficult double star located approximately 83 light years from Earth. The primary component is a white dwarf shining at 3rd magnitude. The 12th-magnitude companion is found 6.5 arcseconds from the primary. Eta Aquilae – One of the brightest Cepheid variables, ranging from magnitude 4.1 to magnitude 5.3 every 7.2 days. It is a supergiant star about 3000 times more luminous than the Sun, located 1200 light years from Earth. Pi Aquilae – A double star easily resolved with a 6-inch telescope into its two components of magnitudes 6 and 7, separated by 1.4 arcseconds. 15 Aquilae – A yellow 5th-magnitude star with a 7th-magnitude companion 40 arcseconds away. It can easily be observed with small telescopes. 57 Aquilae – Another easy pair for binoculars or small telescopes.

Its two components shine at 6th magnitude and are separated by 36 arcseconds. R Aquilae – A variable star of the Mira class, visible with the naked eye at maximum brightness. Its magnitude ranges from 5.5 to 12 every 284 days. Notable Deep Sky Objects in Aquila B143-4 – A dark nebula located about 1.5 degrees to the west of Gamma Aquilae. Through amateur telescopes it appears as a dark, starless area that stands out from the starry background. The nebula is over a degree in size, so when observing use a wide-field eyepiece and low magnification to fit it in the field of view. NGC 6709 – An open star cluster located five degrees southwest of Zeta Aquilae. Small telescopes show 30 stars spread in a diameter of 15 arcminutes. NGC 6755 – A small cluster found 4.5 degrees west of Delta Aquilae, appearing as an elongated misty patch of light at low magnification.

If you use 150x or more the cluster is resolved into about a dozen stars with magnitudes between 12 and 13. NGC 6803 – A difficult 11th- magnitude planetary nebula, appearing as a stellar point even at high magnification. Meteor Showers Two meteor showers radiate from Aquila, but none of these can be observed visually. The June Aquilids have only been studied by radar and it seems that the shower is active between June 2nd and July 2nd. The Epsilon Aquilids shower is active in mid-May, but it can be observed only with optical aid. Monthly Newsletter Sign up for the email newsletter and receive a monthly summary of the sky right in your Inbox! Aquila Aquila Aquila carrying Antinous in Urania's Mirror 1825 Contents: Clues to the meaning of this celestial feature The English word eagle comes from Latin aquila. The word aquila, eagle, is believed to mean 'water-colored bird' and is related to Latin aqua-, water, as is Aquarius [ Klein ].

In Britain before 1678, the word eagle referred specifically to the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). The other native species, the white-tailed Eagle, being known as the erne [ 1 ] which is a sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and a very close cousin of the American Bald Eagle. Aquila was a Roman military standard. Aquiline means having the characteristics of an eagle, or curved or hooked like an eagle's beak: as in 'an aquiline nose'. From the Aquila name comes Eaglewood, Aquilaria agallocha, 'aloewood', from Spanish aguila, 'eagle'. The heartwood of Aquilaria species infected by certain fungi, is known as 'agarwood', agar, or Malay gaharu, and has a high commercial value for incense, perfume and traditional medicine. In Europe it was referred to as Lignum aquila (eagle-wood) or Agilawood, because of the similarity in sound of agila to gaharu. Erne, a sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), is cognate with Greek ornis, 'bird', and German aar, eagle.

And from a separate root the Greek word for eagle, aetos, is cognate with Latin avis, 'bird' [ Klein under 'aviary']. The name of the alpha star of Aquila, Altair , is Arabic for 'the bird". The eagle is often regarded as the prototype of the bird as a species. The eagle is thought of as 'king of birds' and this might explain the reason why the word for eagle has cognates with the word for bird in some languages? Euripides (ca. 480 BC–406 BC) tells us that "the birds in general are the messengers of the gods, but the eagle is king, and interpreter of the great deity Jupiter" [ 2 ]. Greek ornis, meaning bird, is an extension of an ancient stem *orn-, cognate with Old High German aro, arn (modern German aar eagle), Old English earn eagle, Old Slavic orilu, Welsh eryr, and Hittite haras (genitive haranas), from the Indo-European root * or- 'Large bird'.

Derivatives: erne (sea eagle, from Old English earn, eagle), ornitho- (bird, from Greek ornis, stem ornith-, bird), ornithology, Adler (eagle), Arnold. [Pokorny 1. er- 325. Watkins ] In heraldry the allerion, meaning 'noble eagle' (German adal, 'noble', the -erion, related to erne) is an eagle with expanded wings. Ganymede and the Eagle in a 3rd-century Roman mosaic, Nea Paphos, Cyprus. [ 1 ] "I will raise you up on eagles wings" [Psalm 91:1-16]. The expression 'eagle-eyed' describes the eagle who sees all from a distance. Eagles fly higher so they get a look at the bigger picture. In mythology the Eagle acted like a talent scout for Zeus, instructed to find the most beautiful boy to be cup-bearer on Mount Olympus. With his 'eagle eyes', and far-seeing vision that can spot a rabbit three miles away (but has poor close-up vision), metaphorically possessing foresight, and hence the ability to see the potential.

He captured Ganymedes ( Aquarius ) 'the most beautiful boy', in his talons. Livy tells how an eagle seized the cap of Lucius Tarquinius , flew up with it into the sky, then descended and replaced it on his head. His wife Tanaquil, who knew how to interpret omens, told him to look for a high and majestic destiny, for such was the import of the eagle's action. He went on to become the seventh king of Rome. Lucius Tarquinius was, in effect, inaugurated by the eagle. Inaugurate from Latin auger, seems to have meant literally "one who performs with birds," from avis 'bird' [ 3 ].

"Aquila the Eagle is called so from the acuteness (acumine) of his eyes, for he is said to have such wonderful eyesight that, when he is poised above the seas on motionless plume - not even visible to the human gaze - yet from such a height he can see the little fishes swimming, and, coming down like a thunderbolt, he can carry off his captured prey to the shore, on the wing." [ The Book of Beasts : Being a Translation from a Latin Bestiary of the Twelfth Century, p.105] Eagles are also said to represent the rise towards Heaven: "It was a widely used custom in many ancient cultures to release eagles at the funeral of a ruler: the flight of an eagle, as the body was cremated, symbolized the departure of the soul to live among the gods. In Christian iconography the eagle is often seen to symbolize John the Evangelist, the ascension of the prophet Elijah, and the ascension of Jesus Christ" [ 4 ]. Iðunn is carried off by Þjazi in this artwork by H. Theaker, 1920.

Wikipedia Aquila is said to be the Eagle that preyed on the liver of Prometheus in the Caucasian Mountains; and had the titles Aquila Promethei and Tortor Promethei: and The Eagle Kaukasios [Allen, Star Names ]. Zeus baiting Typhon said: "let crafty Prometheus leave his chains, and come with you; the bold bird who makes hearty meals off that rejuvenescent liver shall show him the way to heaven" [ 5 ]. In Norse mythology the giant Thiassi had the ability to turn himself into an eagle. Thiassi arrived in eagle shape and snatched Idunn and flew away with her to his home in Thrymheim [ 6 ]. Hevelius, Firmamentum, 1690 The relationship between the Emperor Hadrian and Antinous was compared with that between Zeus and Ganymedes ( Aquarius ) (the emperor was, after all, considered to be a god) [ 6 ] Ganymedes is identified with Aquarius "Antinous was a former constellation south of Aquila.

In modern times, Antinous was variously considered an asterism within Aquila, or a separate constellation, until IAU formalized the constellations in 1930, when Antinous was discarded." [ 5 ] "The origins of this obsolete constellation date back to the year 132 and the Emperor Hadrian. He had this constellation placed in the sky to honor a favorite youth of his court, who according to myth sacrificed himself in order to prolong the life of the emperor. Later astronomers recognized this constellation as the youth Ganymede, who the Greek god Zeus had brought to Olympus by his eagle Aquila, in order to serve as cup-bearer to the gods.

The stars of this constellation have since been given to the constellation of Aquila." [ Obsolete Constellations ] Aetites (Greek aetos, an eagle), also called Aquilaeus or eagle-stone, is a stone said to have magical properties, particularly connected to childbirth, and in the Mesopotamian legend of Etana travels on the back of an eagle to find a herb to ease his wife's pain in childbirth: "the hero, Etana, wanting to ease the pain his wife was feeling during childbirth, rode on the back of the god Shamash's eagle to the heavens to retrieve a medicinal plant that would relieve her pain. The magical plant was only found in the upper reaches of heaven where Anu lived. While Etana rode on the back of the eagle he noticed that the earth was becoming smaller and smaller, lost his nerve, and according to some versions of the story, his grip. One description of the legend has him living for 1,560 years and leaving only two children. A second version has him crashing to earth for daring to attempt to enter the realm of Anu.

The mythical plant may actually be the poisonous mountain arnica which, when taken in controlled doses, does ease the pain of childbirth" [ The Glorious Constellations , Giuseppe Maria Sesti]. Giuseppe Maria Sesti postulates that the mythical plant may be arnica; the prefix arn- resembles Old English earn, eagle, as in the name Arnold. The word prayer is a possibility? Eagles, the chief birds of prey, were believed to be carriers of prayers to the sky [ 6 ]. "Medieval mystics often invoked the eagle to evoke the vision of God and compared prayer with the eagle's soaring flight into the sunlight" [ 7 ]. The story of Ajax below is said to be based on the appearance of an eagle sent by Zeus in response to Heracles prayer to Zeus to send a brave son to his friend Telamon. Prayer is from the Indo-European root * prek- , 'To ask, entreat'.

Derivatives: pray, prayer¹, precarious, deprecate, imprecate, prie-dieu, (these words from *prex, prayer), postulate, expostulate, (these words from Latin postulare, to ask, request), postulant (a candidate for admission into a religious order.) [Pokorny 4. perk- 821. Watkins ] It seems that being carried by an eagle is a precarious position to be in. While Mesopotamian Etana was being carried heavenwards by an eagle, he became afraid, the eagle faltered, and they fell to earth, the second ascent was successful. And Zeus in the form of an eagle was not too sure of himself either while carrying Ganymedes; "Zeus appeared to be anxious as he flew through the air, holding the terrified boy with claws that tore not, gently moving the wings and sparing his strength, for he feared Ganymede might slip and fall headlong from the sky" (Nonnus, Dionysiaca 25.430 ) [ 8 ].

Aetites (Greek aetos, an eagle), also called Aquilaeus or eagle stone, is a stone said to have magical properties, particularly connected to childbirth. Supposed at one time to form part of an eagle's nest. Pliny mentions them. It is said that without these stones eagles cannot hatch their eggs. The stones are a hollow oval nodule of yellow clay ironstone, the nucleus of which, being of a different texture, had by drying become detached from the surrounding crust so as to rattle loosely. There was an ancient belief that the eagle found it necessary to have one in her nest before she could lay her eggs. Maybe the aetites stone are similar to Russian nesting doll (matryoshka), where the top and bottom come apart to reveal a smaller, similar doll inside that similarly comes apart, and so on.

Philosophers and theologians have conjectured that every individual existed as a homunculus in Adam's testicles (spermism) or Eve's ovaries (ovism), the hypothesis that each embryo could contain even smaller embryos ad infinitum, like a Matryoshka doll; spermists claimed the homonculus must come from the man, and ovists, who located the homonculus in the ova [ 9 ]. The eagle is Jove's guardian, called his armsbearer (armiger) because so full of heat that the coldest giant stone rattles, when warmed under a breeding eagle, as if an egg, according to Lucan [ Medieval Mythography Jane Chance. P. 313]. Isidore says: "The eagle (aquila) is named from the acuity of its vision (acumen oculorum), for it is said that they have such sight that when they soar above the sea on unmoving wings, and invisible to human sight, from such a height they can see small fish swimming, and descending like a bolt seize their prey and carry it to shore with their wings.

It is said that the eagle does not even avert its gaze from the sun; it offers its hatchlings, suspended from its talons, to the rays of the sun, and the ones it sees holding their gaze unmoving it saves as worthy of the eagle family, but those who turn their gaze away, it throws out as inferior." [ The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville , 7th century AD, p.264.] Porphyry on why Zeus is pictured holding an eagle in his right hand: "because he is master of the gods who traverse the air, as the eagle is master of the birds that fly aloft - or a victory, because he is himself victorious over all things." [ On Images , Porphyry, trans. E.H. Gifford] Aquilo is the word the Romans used for the north wind, which the Greeks called Boreas, it brought the cold winter air. Aquilo is believed to be from aquilus, 'dark-colored', as aquila, 'eagle', properly means 'the dark-colored (bird)': In many countries the wind has been conceived as a mighty bird of prey which seizes and carries things away.

In Greek aetos, the eagle, must have originally been the keen-winged bird, being akin to aetes, wind (from aemi, to blow), just as among the Romans Aquilo, the sharp northeaster was closely related to aquila, the eagle, the idea of forcible keenness being common to both (root ac, sharp, in ac-er, ac-uo, etc.). Quite similarly in Etruscan andas, the north-wind, antae, winds, seem to claim kinship with antar, the eagle; and in Finnish Pulmri, a personification of the north wind, wears the form of an eagle. [ Some curios from a word-collector's cabinet , Abram Smythe Palmer, p.149-150] Other mythological characters: The name according to Pindar, Ajax (Greek Aias), is said to be based on the appearance of an eagle (Gk. aietos) sent by Zeus in response to Heracles prayer to Zeus to send a brave son to his friend Telamon. He was described as vicious, fearless, strong and powerful but also with a very high level of combat intelligence.

Ajax kills himself after failing to obtain Achilles' armour. Another possible cognate of both Greek aietos, eagle, and Ajax (Greek Aias), is the Greek exclamation aiai. In Sophocles' drama, the hero Ajax connects his name to a Greek lament, aiai. The name Ajax was Aias (Αιας) in the original Greek aiai (αιαι) is an exclamation of grief which we might translate by the old-fashioned phrase "woe is me" or "woe!".

In the text Ajax also used the word aiazein (αιαζειν) "to wail" or "to cry aiai" [ Yahoo Answers ] In Greek myth, the hyacinth was said to have markings on it similar to the Greek ai ai which means "Alas!" referring to Hyacinthus, was struck by the discus as it fell to the ground, and died The astrological influences of the constellation given by Manilius: "Then soars to the heights the bird of mighty Jupiter as though, winging its way with wonted effort, it were carrying thunderbolts; it is a bird worthy of Jupiter and the sky, which it furnishes with awful armaments." [Manilius, Astronomica , 1st century A.D, p.31] Now I shall tell of the constellation of the Eagle : it rises on the left [translator's note: an error: Aquila, a northern constellation, rises on Aquarius's right] of the youth who pours, whom once it carried off from earth [the poet here identifies Aquarius as Ganymede], and with wings outspread it hovers above its prey [translator's note: another error (shared with Hygin

us, Poet.

Astr. 2. 16): Aquila hovers above Capricorn and Sagittarius rather than Aquarius]. This bird brings back the thunderbolts which Jupiter has flung and fights in the service of heaven. He that is born on earth in the hour of its rising, will grow up bent on spoil and plunder, won even with bloodshed; he will draw no line between peace and war, between citizen and foe, and when he is short of men to kill he will engage in butchery of beast. He is a law unto himself, and rushes violently wherever his fancy takes him; in his eyes to show contempt for everything merits praise. Yet, should perchance his aggressiveness be enlisted in a righteous cause, depravity will turn into virtue, and he will succeed in bringing wars to a conclusion and enriching his country with glorious triumphs. And, since the Eagle does not wield, but supplies weapons, seeing that it brings back and restores to Jupiter the fires and bolts he has hurled, in time of war such a man will be the aide of a king or of some mighty general, and his strength will render them important service".

[ Astronomica , Manilius, 1st century AD, book 5, p.341.]. © Anne Wright 2008. from Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning , 1889, Richard H. Allen Aquila, the Eagle, is the French Aigle, the German Adler, and the Italian Aquila, next to and westward from the Dolphin, is shown flying toward the east and across {Page 56} the Milky Way; its southern stars constituting the now discarded Antinous. Early representations added an arrow held in the Eagle's talons; and Hevelius included a bow and arrow in his description; but on the Heis map the Youth is held by Aquila, for the Germans still continue this association in their combined title der Adier mit dem Antinous. Our constellation is supposed to be represented by the bird figured on a Euphratean uranographic stone of about 1200 B.C., and known on the tablets as Idkhu Zamama, the Eagle, the Living Eye.

It always was known as Aquila by the Latins, and by their poets as Jovis Ales and Jovis Nutrix, the Bird, and the Nurse, of Jove; Jovis Armiger and Armiger Ales, the Armor-bearing Bird of Jove in this god's conflict with the giants; while Ganymedes Raptrix and Servans Antinoum are from the old stories that the Eagle carried Ganymede to the heavens and stood in attendance on Jove. Ovid made it Merops, King of Cos, turned into the Eagle of the sky (he was inconsolable over the death of his wife, and Hera placed him among the stars); but others thought it some Aethiopian king like Cepheus , and with the same heavenly reward.

As the eagles often were confounded with the vultures in Greek and Roman ornithology, at least in nomenclature, Aquila also was Vultur volans, the stars beta and gamma, on either side of alpha, marking the outstretched wings; this title appearing even as late as Flamsteed's day, and its translation, the Flying Grype, becoming the Old English name, especially with the astrologers, who ascribed to it mighty virtue. Aetos, the Eagle, in a much varied orthography, was used for our constellation by all the Greeks; while poetically it was Dios Ornis, the Bird of Zeus; and Pindar had Oinon Basileus, the King of Birds, which, ornithologically, has come to our day. Later on it was Basanos and Basanismos (from basanizo; torture. Basanos is Greek for touchstone. Such a touchstone may be a piece of slate used to test gold, or it may be a metaphor for torture or torment to test truthfulness [ 1] ), all kindred titles signifying Torture, referred by Hyde to the story of the eagle which preyed on the liver of Prometheus.

Similarly we find Aquila Promethei and Tortor Promethei; but Ideler said that this idea came from a confounding by Scaliger of the Arabic Ikab, Torture, and Okab, Eagle. Dupuis fancifully thought that its name was given when it was near the summer solstice, and that the bird of highest flight was chosen to express the greatest elevation of the sun; and he asserted that the famous three Stymphalian Birds of mythology were represented by Aquila, Cygnus , and Vultur cadens, our Lyra , still located together in the sky; the argument being that these are all paranatellons of Sagittarius , which is the fifth in the line of zodiacal constellations beginning with Leo , the Nemean lion, the object of Hercules' first labor, while the slaying of the birds was the fifth. Appropriately enough, like so much other stellar material, these creatures {Page 57} came from Arabia, migrating thence either to the Insula Martis, or to Lake Stymphalis, where Hercules encountered them.

Thompson thinks that the fable, in Greek ornithology, of the eagle attacking the swan, but defeated by it, is symbolical of "Aquila, which rises in the East, immediately after Cygnus , but, setting in the West, goes down a little while before that more northern constellation." A similar thought was in the ancient mind as to the eagle in opposition to the dolphin and the serpent; their stellar counterparts, Aquila, Delphinus , and Serpens , also being thus relatively situated. In connection with the story of Ganymede, the eagle appeared on coins of Chalcis, Dardanos, and Ilia; and generally on those of Mallos in Cilicia and of Camarina; while it is shown perched on the Dolphin on coins of Sinope and other towns, chiefly along the Black Sea and Hellespont. One, bearing the prominent stars, was struck in Rome, 94 B.C., by Manius Aquilius Nepos, the design being evidently inspired by his name; and a coin of Agrigentum bears Aquila, with Cancer on the reverse, — the one setting as the other rises.

To the Arabians the classical figure became Al ‘Okab, probably their Black Eagle, Chilmead citing this as Alhhakhab; while their Al Nasr al Tair, the Flying Eagle, was confined to alpha, beta, and gamma; although this was contrary to their custom of using only one star for a sky figure. Grotius called the whole Altair and Alcair; Bayer said Alcar and Atair. Al Achsasi, however, mentioned it as Al Ghurab, the Crow, or Raven, probably a late Arabian name, and the only instance that I have seen of its application to the stars of our Aquila. Persian titles were Alub, Gherges, and Shahin tarazed, the Star-striking Falcon of Al Nasr al Din, but now divided for beta ( Alshain ) and gamma ( Tarazed ). In the Ilkhanian Tables, as perhaps elsewhere, it was Gups Petomenos, the Flying Vulture; the Turks call it Taushaugjil, their Hunting Eagle; — all these for the three bright stars.

The Hebrews knew it as Neshr, an Eagle, Falcon, or Vulture; and the Chaldee Paraphrase asserted that it was figured on the banners of Dan; but as these tribal symbols properly were for the zodiac, Scorpio usually was ascribed to Dan. This confusion may have originated from the fact, asserted by Sir William Drummond, that in Abraham's day Scorpio was figured as an Eagle. Caesius said that Aquila represented the Eagle of military Rome, or the Eagle of Saint John; but Julius Schiller had already made it Saint Catherine the Martyr; and Erhard Weigel, a {Page 58} professor at Jena in the 17th century, started a new set of constellations, based on the heraldry then so much in vogue, among which was the Brandenburg Eagle, made up from Aquila, Antinous, and the Dolphin ( Delphinus ). Hevelius said that the stellar Eagle was a fitting representation of that bird on the Polish and Teutonic coats of arms.

The Chinese have here the Draught Oxen, mentioned in the book of odes entitled She King, compiled 500 years before Christ by K'ung fu tsu, Kung the Philosopher (Confucius), — the passage being rendered by the Reveiend Doctor James Legge: Brilliant show the Draught Oxen, But they do not serve to draw our carts; and the three bright stars are their Cowherd, for whom the Magpies' Bridge gives access to the Spinning Damsel, our Lyra , across the River of the Sky, the Milky Way. This story appears in various forms; stars in the Swan ( Cygnus ) sometimes being substituted for those in the Eagle, Lyra becoming the Weaving Sisters. The Korean version, with more detail, turns the Cowherd into a Prince, and the Spinster into his Bride, both banished to different parts of the sky by the irate father-in-law, but with the privilege of an annual meeting if they can cross the River.

This they accomplish through the friendly aid of the good-natured magpies, who congregate from all parts of the kingdom during the 7th moon, and on its 7th night form the fluttering bridge across which the couple meet, lovers still, although married. When the day is over they return for another year to their respective places of exile, and the bridge breaks up; the birds scattering to their various homes with bare heads, the feathers having been worn off by the trampling feet of the Prince and his retinue. But as all this happens during the birds' molting-time, the bare heads are not to be wondered at; nor, as it is the rainy season, the attendant showers which, if occurring in the morning, the story-tellers attribute to the tears of the couple in the joy of meeting; or if in the evening, to those of sorrow at parting. Should a magpie anywhere be found loitering around home at this time, it is pursued by the children with well-merited ill-treatment for its selfish indifference to its duty.

Nor must I forget to mention that the trouble in the royal household originated from the Prince's unfortunate investment of the paternal sapekes in a very promising scheme to tap the Milky Way and divert the fluid to nourish distant stars. Another version is given by the Reverend Doctor William Elliot Griffis in his Japanese Fairy World, where the Spinning Damsel is the industrious princess Shokujo, separated by the Heavenly River from her herd-boy lover, {Page 59} Kinjin. But here the narrator makes Capricorn and the star Wega represents the lovers. The native Australians knew the whole of Aquila as Totyarguil, one of their mythical personages, who, while bathing, was killed by a kelpie; their stellar Eagle being Sirius. It was in the stars of our constellation, to the northwest of Altair, that Professor Edward E. Bamard discovered a comet from its trail on a photograph taken at the Lick Observatory on the 12th of October, 1892 — the first ever found by the camera.

Constellation Aquila Meteor Showers: June Aquilids , Epsilon Aquilids General: A pretty constellation at the celestial equator; it lies (roughly spoken) between DECL=+10 and DECL=-10, RA=19h and RA=20h 30m. The alpha star Altair (arab.: the flying eagle) forms with alpha Cyg and alpha Lyr the so called Summer Triangle. See here how the stars form the eagle . Due to the Rift, a lane of obsuring dust, the Milky Way splits into two through this constellation and Ophiuchus . Many rich star fields can be observed in this area. Stars and other objects The variable star eta Aql is one of the brightest Cepheids; its brightness varies from 4.1 mag to 5.3 mag every 7.2 days. The double 15 Aql is a yellow 5th mag star accompanied by a 7th mag star. It can easily be observed with small telescopes. Another easy pair for small telescopes is 57 Aql, constisting of two 6th mag stars.

For telescope with an aperture of at least 100 mm pi Aql is an interesting object. The planetary nebula NGC 6803 shows a small but bright ring. Viewing NGC 6891 reveals a bright disk with a faint ring, which is about 15'' in diameter. Only three radar studies give hints to the existence of the June Aquilids . It look like the meteors are falling from June 2nd to July 2nd, with an hourly rate between 13 and 35. To see the meteor shower of the Epsilon Aquilids some additional optical help seems to be necessary. As far as the sources say, the shower is taking place Mid-May. See Gary Kronk's database for detailed information. Mythological Background: Aquila, the eagle, is one of the the two birds ( Cygnus , the swan, is the second), which are hunted by Hercules . Yet it seems that the two birds were lucky and have escaped. It is assumed that these birds (together with a third one, the Vulture - nowadays the constellation Lyra ) represent the Stymphalian Birds - one of the tasks of Hercules.

Aquila's Name How She Got Her Name Aquila is the constellation of the eagle. It is a Latin word pronounced "uh-KWIL-uh", and that is how we say it. However, most people, including the officials in every port we check into, call us "uh-KEY-la". Aquila is a constellation in the Northern Hemisphere which looks like a great bird with its wings spanning the Milky Way. The constellation is said to represent the eagle which, in classical Greek mythology, carried the thunderbolts of Zeus and was sent by him to carry the shepherd boy Ganymede to Mount Olympus where he became the wine-pourer for all the gods. As a reward for its services, Zeus is said to have placed the eagle among the stars to eternally soar through the sky. The eagle flies not only among the stars, but also on the Great Seal of the United States. Several other birds were proposed as a national emblem for the US, but the powerful bald eagle was adopted. The eagle was a natural choice because it's known for its strength, courage, and its lofty flight.

The following elements came together for us: The symbolism and beauty of the eagle The fact that Mike carried the eagle on his badge for 28 years Our love of the stars in the night sky The mythology representing loyalty and service Following is a diagram of the constellation Aquila. Diagram of the eagle in the constellation Aquila. Linda designed our logo with the eagle in flight on a triangle. The triangle is symbolic of a sail. Transit Date of principal star: 20 July Aquila , The Eagle, is another ancient constellation whose history is linked to the Greek gods. The most often-told story is that of Hebe, daughter of Zeus and Hera, who married Heracles. Before her marriage Hebe was the goddess of youth and she appeared in ceremonies as the official cup bearer. (That's to say, in all religious functions, she was responsible for pouring the wine.) She gave up the post after her marriage (although some accounts say that in one ceremony she indelicately exposed herself and was promptly sacked). In any case, the position was open and Zeus sought a suitable replacement. Ganymede, a splendid Trojan prince, was Zeus's eventual choice. Zeus either disguised himself as an eagle or sent his Royal Eagle.

Ganymede was plucked from his native land and taken to Mount Olympus where he became the wine-pourer for all the gods. This explains why Ganymede is Jupiter's brightest and largest companion: Jupiter of course being the Roman name for Zeus. The constellation Aquila is supposed to represent the eagle carrying away the youth. There are four or five fairly bright stars just below the asterism which are meant to represent the boy (this asterism is called "Antinous" but is not recognised any longer). Eventually Zeus put Ganymede's own image in the skies, as the god's water bearer, Aquarius. Aquila's Bayer stars are generally third and fourth magnitude, except Altair (alpha Aql), the twelfth brightest star. Altair spins very rapidly, completing one revolution every 6.5 hours, which deforms the star. It is thought Altair's equatorial diameter is twice its polar diameter. Double stars: Beta Aquilae is relatively fixed, with a faint red dwarf companion: 3.7, 11.6; PA 5�, separation 13".

Zeta Aquilae also has a very faint dwarf companion, of uncertain period: 3.0, 12; PA 53�, separation 6.5". Pi Aquilae: 6, 7; PA 111�, separation 1.4". Chi Aquilae is a close binary with the separation slowly decreasing: 5.6, 6.8; PA 77�, separation 0.5". Variable stars: Eta Aquilae is a cepheid variable: 3.48-4.39 with a period of 7.18 days (more precisely 7 days, 4 hours, 14 minutes and 21.8 seconds). The magnitude changes very gradually throughout this time period, and is easily noticed with binoculars (using beta Aquilae, 3.7, as a reference). Sigma Aquilae is an eclipsing binary (EB type), fluctuating between 5.14 and 5.34 every 1.95 days. The combined mass is equal to twelve suns although their densities are each only about one tenth of the sun's.

R Aquilae is a long period variable: 5.5 to 12 every 284.2 days. The 2000 maximum should occur on 4 June. Deep Sky Objects: NGC 6709 is a loose cluster comprised of about forty stars. It's approximately 2500 light years away and is located five degrees SW of zeta Aquilae. For a closer appreciation of Aquila, visit the Binocular Section. Return to the previous page: Or go to All files associated with The Constellations Web Page are © Richard Dibon-Smith. Star Tales – Aquila Origin: One of the 48 Greek constellations listed by Ptolemy in the Almagest Greek name: Ἀετός (Aetos) Aquila represents an eagle, the thunderbird of the Greeks. The constellation’s name in Greek was Ἀετός, i.e. Aetos, meaning eagle. There are several explanations for the presence of this eagle in the sky. In Greek and Roman mythology, the eagle was the bird of Zeus, carrying (and retrieving) the thunderbolts which the wrathful god hurled at his enemies.

But the eagle was involved in love as well as war. According to one story, Aquila is the eagle that snatched up the beautiful Trojan boy Ganymede, son of King Tros, to become the cup-bearer of the gods on Olympus. Authorities such as the Roman poet Ovid say that Zeus turned himself into an eagle, whereas others say that the eagle was simply sent by Zeus. Ganymede himself is represented by the neighbouring constellation of Aquarius, and star charts show Aquila swooping down towards Aquarius. Germanicus Caesar says that the eagle is guarding the arrow of Eros (neighbouring Sagitta) which made Zeus love-struck. The constellations of the eagle and the swan are linked in an account by Hyginus. Zeus fell in love with the goddess Nemesis but, when she resisted his advances, he turned himself into a swan and had Aphrodite pretend to pursue him in the form of an eagle. Nemesis gave refuge to the escaping swan, only to find herself in the embrace of Zeus. To commemorate this successful trick, Zeus placed the images of swan and eagle in the sky as the constellations Cygnus and Aquila.

Aquila swooping across the pages of John Flamsteed’s Atlas Coelestis (1729). Its brightest star, Altair, lies at the base of its neck and is labelled Alpha. Some depictions of Aquila, such as by Johann Bode and Johannes Hevelius , show the eagle as seen from above, but Ptolemy’s description in the Almagest makes it clear that the eagle should be imagined as though seen from below, which is how it appears on Flamsteed’s chart. Altair and the stars of Aquila The name of the constellation’s brightest star, Altair, comes from the Arabic al-nasr al-ta’ir, meaning ‘flying eagle’ or ‘vulture’. The Greeks, including Aratus and Ptolemy, called this star Aetos (Ἀετός), the eagle, the same as the whole constellation. The German scholar Paul Kunitzsch notes that the Babylonians and Sumerians referred to Altair as the eagle star, testimony to an even more ancient origin of the name.

Altair’s neighbouring stars Beta and Gamma Aquilae lie in the eagle’s neck and in its left shoulder respectively, according to Ptolemy’s description. These two stars have their own names, Alshain and Tarazed, which come from a Persian translation of an old Arabic word meaning ‘the balance’. Altair forms one corner of the so-called Summer Triangle with the stars Vega and Deneb, found in the constellations Lyra and Cygnus respectively. A charming eastern myth visualizes the stars of Aquila and those of Lyra as two lovers separated by the river of the Milky Way, able to meet on just one day each year when magpies collect to form a bridge across the celestial river. The southern part of Aquila was subdivided by Ptolemy into a now-obsolete constellation called Antinous , visualized on some maps as a young man being held in the eagle’s claws. Flamsteed did not show Antinous on his chart of Aquila, but in his catalogue he listed their stars together under the title ‘ Aquilae cum Antinoo ’.

Chinese associations In China, Altair and its two flanking stars, Beta and Gamma Aquilae, were known as Hegu, a large battle drum – beating the drum was a signal for the army to attack. The line to the south formed by Theta, 62, 58, and Eta Aquilae was Tianfu, the drumstick. Delta Aquilae and surrounding stars including Mu, Sigma, and Iota were Youqi, a banner flying on the right side of the drum, while the stars of Sagitta to the north were a banner on the left of the drum. Altair and its attendant stars also had two other identifications. In one they were known as the Three Generals, the commanding officer in the centre flanked by two subordinates. In a popular Chinese folk tale, Altair represents a cowherd flanked by his two sons. The cowherd was separated by the Milky Way from his wife the weaving girl (the star Vega) and the two were allowed to meet only once a year, when magpies formed a bridge for them over the Milky Way. For the full story see Lyra .

Lambda and 12 Aquilae were grouped with stars of Scutum to make Tianbian, a team of trade officials or trading standards officers overseeing the organization of markets. (A large adjoining area of sky including much of Hercules , Ophiuchus and Serpens was visualized as a marketplace, called Tianshan, and these trade officials were positioned just outside its wall. The star Zeta Aquilae was part of the wall.) The L-shaped figure formed by 69, 70, and 71 Aquilae plus 1 Aquarii was known as Lizhu, representing four pearls as worn by the Empress. These stars were astrologically linked with the Emperor’s harem. © Ian Ridpath. All rights reserved Aquila Aquila Visible between latitudes 85 and -75 degrees Best seen in September (at 9:00 PM) Named Stars Altair , along with Deneb and Vega form the well-known Summer Triangle . Depictied as an eagle, Aquila is named for the bird that belonged to Zeus. Aquila's most famous task was carrying the mortal Ganymede to the heavens to serve as Zeus' cup bearer.

Two major novae have been observed in Aquila. The first one was in 389 AD and was recorded to be as bright as Venus. The other shone brighter than Altair, the brightest star in Aquila. A nova is what the ancients called a "new star." In reality, it is not a new star at all, but a very old one that suddenly becomes bright again, regaining some of the former glory of its youth. Note that there is a very strong difference between a nova (an old star brightening temporarily) and a supernova (a massive star exploding). Aquila Constellation on Top Astronomer Aquila Please hover over any star to get more information Aquila, or the Eagle, is a constellation that lies in the equatorial region. It is one of the 48 constellation documented by Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. The Romans called the constellation "Vultur Volans," which means "the flying vulture." Aquila is identified with the Greek myth of the battle between the Olympian gods and the Titans, in which the eagle carried Zeus' thunderbolts that helped defeat the Titans. Once victorious, Zeus kept the eagle at his side at all times.

When the gods needed a new poll bearer, it was the eagle that was sent to find the most beautiful youth in the land. The celestial eagle contains a straight line of three stars for wings, with the brightest star, [435] Altair at the centre. In Indian tradition, the three stars are revered as the footprints of the god Vishnu. The Aquila constellation occupies an area of 652 square degrees and contains six stars with known planets. It can be seen at latitudes between +85° and -75° and is best visible at 9 p.m. during the month of August. It is one of the constellations with bright stars forming the Summer Triangle, an imaginary triangle drawn between [435] , Altair in Aquila, [3067] Deneb in Cygnus , and [5350] Vega in the Lyra constellation . The brightest star in the Aquila constellation is [435] Altair or alpha Aquilae, a type-A main sequence star.

Its name derives from the Arabic phrase "an-nasr attair," meaning "the flying eagle." At 16.8 light-years from Earth and an apparent visual magnitude of 0.77, Altair is the twelfth brightest star in the night sky. Its rotational period is only 9 hours, which forces its shape into an oblate spheroid, with its polar axis shorter than the diameter of the equator. Together with [441] beta Aquilae, and [436] gamma Aquilae, Altair forms the Shaft of Aquila. [441] beta Aquilae or Alschain (Arabic for "the peregrine falcon") has magnitude 3.71 and lies 44.7 light-years away from Earth. It has a companion star 13 arcseconds away. [436] gamma Aquilae or Tarazed, is a giant yellowish-orange star with apparent magnitude of 2.72.

The name Tarazed is derived from a Persian phrase meaning "the beam of the scale." [437] zeta Aquilae or Deneb el Okab ("the tail of the falcon") is a triple star system with an A-type main sequence dwarf for a primary and two 12th magnitude companion stars. [442] eta Aquilae or Bezek ("lightning"), is a yellow-white supergiant 3000 times more luminous than the Sun and one of the brightest Cepheid variables that can be seen with the naked eye. [443] epsilon Aquilae, is a triple star system with an orange K-type giant for a primary. Its atmosphere is heavy with Barium, so it is often referred to as the Barium star. [439] delta Aquilae, is a triple star system and an astrometric binary. Its primary star is a yellow-white F-type subgiant. [490] pi Aquilae, is a triple star about 570 light-years distant from Earth.

It consists of a yellow-white F-type giant (the primary component), an A-type main sequence dwarf, and a faint third component which might be optical. [438] theta Aquilae, is a blue-white B-type giant. Its traditional name is Tseen Foo, derived from the Mandarin phrase for "the heavenly rafter." R Aquilae is a suspected Mira class variable star that can be seen with the naked eye at maximum brightness 15 Aquilae is a double star consisting of a yellow 5th-magnitude star and a magnitude 7 companion star. 57 Aquilae is another binary, with two magnitude 6 components and an apparent magnitude of 5.28. The Aquila constellation also contains several interesting deep sky objects. B143-4 is a dark nebula that appears as a starless patch west of [436] gamma Aquilae. NGC 6709 is an open star cluster with a magnitude of 6.7.

NGC 6755 is a small star cluster near [439] delta Aquilae, that appears as a hazy patch of light and consists of about a dozen stars with apparent magnitudes ranging between 12 and 13. NGC 6803 is a magnitude 11 planetary nebula, difficult to see even at high magnification.

Question: What is the English name for the star constellation Aquila?
Answer: THE EAGLE